Never Change
by KHB123
Summary: "Hinata…remember that you are as strong...as you need to be..." Neji took a wet, shaky breath, eyes half-closing as the light started to dim. "Leader or not...weak or strong...no matter what…you are kind, patient…..and compassionate…..p-promise me you will never change who you are...promise me...this one thing…" [Implied NaruHina]


**This is Neji's death scene, but he has one last request from Hinata that surprises her. This is a brother/sister love between Neji and Hinata. Implied NaruHina.**

* * *

Stakes of wood were raining from the sky.

It all happened so fast.

When deflecting the wooden shards, the Ten-Tails developed more from his paw and launched them at full speed...right toward Naruto, who was weakened on his knees from throwing his Rasin Shuriken toward the beast. There were so many!

 _Naruto!_ Her mind blinded with panic, Hinata felt herself run toward the blond.

Knowing full well that her air palms won't be sufficient with so many wooden shards raining down, Hinata jumped in front of a crouching Naruto, facing him with her arms fully extended to shield him with her body. She could hear her father shout and Naruto yell at her to move, but she remained rooted, her Byakugan still activated, more than willing to give her life to the young man she loved all her life. Just like when Pein attacked.

She had nearly died then, but now she was ready to do it again. Hinata looked down at Naruto, her expression hardened, though her heart wept at his wide, horrified blue eyes staring into her pale ones. If she was going to go, she was glad that the last thing she would see was him.

She just wished...

 _I'm sorry, Naruto-kun._

 _"_ _Byakugan!"_

She heard Neji roar. She felt no large wood-staves hit her body. She peeked behind. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar figure surrounded by a bright glow of powerful chakra, taking the form of a hawk...

Three sickening crunches. Her heart stopped. Hinata and Naruto stared in true horror.

A body crashing to the ground.

 _"_ _Earth Style Mountain Jutsu!"_ somebody shouted. The Ten-Tails was soon sandwiched between two mountain slabs of stones, unable to move.

While Naruto was the first to react and move to the fallen Hyuga, Hinata felt her knees give away and hit the ground, tears running staining her shocked face. What…..What had Neji done? He had taken the hit…..for _her?_

"Medic!" shouted Naruto, hoisting up Neji in his arms. He propped the Hyuga's head over his shoulder and held him close to his chest, arms trying to avoid the spikes that impaled their savior. "Where's the medic team? Please, we have a critical injury here! Somebody!"

"No..." whispered Neji, his mouth drooling blood. "It's…no use..."

"Neji," croaked Naruto.

"Nii-san," Hinata managed to gasp out, her voice heavy with tears.

Neji let out a heavy, raspy breath and coughed, more blood spattering his chin. His eyes then looked up and found Hinata. A faint smile curled his lips when he watched her, relieved that she was okay despite the devastation in her expression. "Hinata-chan...please, don't cry..." Neji breathed, only to watch as she trembled, more tears trailing down her cheeks quietly. He wanted to wipe the tears from her beautiful face, but it felt as though his whole body were dead, while tearing apart in flaming agony. It only made it slightly easier to breathe with Naruto propping him upright.

He felt the warmth of the boy holding him upright, but never looked away from his younger cousin. "Naruto…Hinata-sama is willing to die for you...So you...you hold more than one...life in your hands...And it seems...that my life too...may have been..." He winced in pain. "...one of them..."

"Why?" gasped Naruto, trembling as he held Neji. "Why did you do this? You were going to change the Hyuga!"

 _Long ago, those words of yours freed me from the shackles of fate._

"Why would you go so far for me? Even...give up your life..." Naruto's voice was breaking, tears filling his eyes. He not only asked Neji, but Hinata as well. Why would they go so far as to risk their lives for his?

Negi smirked, one eye closed. "Because...you called me a genius..."

 _"_ _Unlike me, you're not a failure."_ Those had been Naruto's words back then, standing above him in the arena during the chunin exams. A dead-last standing above a genius who had been beaten to the ground for his own arrogance and blinded anger. Naruto's words had inspired him, freed him from his own darkness, made him open eyes and see things in a better light...

"Hinata-chan...please..." Neji coughed and struggled to breath.

Still trembling with despair, Hinata finally crawled closer until her face was near her cousin's. "I'm here, nii-san," she whispered.

Neji gazed into the eyes of the young woman he called his little sister. He could not help but think of what a strong, beautiful young woman she had become, but still could see some of the shy, mousy little girl she had been. _Otousan, I finally understand...the freedom you felt...choosing to die in order to protect your comrades. And….your family._

If it had been her in this position instead of him, he did not know what he would have done. He remembered seeing her bloody body in the center of a giant crater during Pein's destruction on the Hidden Leaf, when he and his team had just returned. In that minute when he thought she was dead before Sakura examined her, he had wanted to collapse in grief, tempted to just give up. Not only had he thought he failed in protecting her better like he promised to himself, that he would be unable to look at his uncle Hiashi or other cousin Hinabi in the eye again afterward, even if they wouldn't blame him for it, but had felt a large chunk of his heart had been ripped out of his chest for losing another person closest to him. After realizing to his relief that she survived, thanks to Sakura, he promised himself that he would not let it happen again whenever he was around, even if he had to knock Hinata unconscious and drag her away if it got too intense for her to handle.

She would _not_ die on his watch, curse mark or not.

After the death of his father, Hinata had become one of his most precious people. In every way, she was a little sister who not only needed his protection, but his guidance and support. He deeply regretted all the times he had hurt her, both emotionally and physically, when he had been bitter towards his own clan and had taken his vengeance out on the innocent Hyuga heiress (something that Naruto had given him a good beating for), but he did not regret protecting her with his life after that, trying to make up for his actions against her whenever he can ever since. To him, her life was far more important.

Neji struggled with his breath. "Hinata-chan...the Hyuga have always...depended on the strong...to lead their clan...they do not see what...what you can do for them..."

"Nii-san," wept Hinata softly, pressing her forehead against his, fully aware of the revealing curse mark and gritted her teeth at the thought of it. "I-I was g-going...to help you...I-I w-wanted t-to find a way to f-free you...I n-never wanted this to happen. N-Not to you! If only I h-had understood...back then...I'm so sorry..."

Neji shook his head ever so slightly. Though his face was now relaxed, a tear ran down his cheek and mixed with his blood as he watched her anguish. Why did Hinata always blame herself when none of everything he had been through had been her fault? To his own shame, he believed that she felt this way because of him four years ago, or her father and the clan for continuing to belittle her just for being the kindest and gentlest person he has ever known. Why couldn't she see that there was nothing to forgive, and that if there was anyone who needed forgiveness, it was himself from her?

He wanted to tell her that, but there was little time left. He could feel his world fading and the pain starting to fade into numbness.

"My choice…" he said softly. "I regret nothing of it...Your life...has more meaning to me...and to your friends...than you think..." He grunted and coughed more blood, lightly splattering Hinata's cheeks, before breathing, "Especially Naruto-kun..."

Hinata's eyes widened at this, and Naruto bowed his head as he listened with his eyes shut. While Naruto thought of one thing, he misunderstood what Neji truly meant that Hinata realized.

Neji already knew Hinata was in love with Naruto. And while at first he had been against it, not knowing what the Hyuga heiress saw in the Uzamaki kid and that the blond was too idiotic to be worthy of her hand….but now after everything, he understood more than ever, and he believed...he truly believed...that there was no other than Naruto Uzamaki that Lady Hinata would choose. And he truly believed that Naruto would one day return those feelings and make her very happy.

That was one of the reasons Neji would go as far as to sacrifice himself for them both. If Hinata loved Naruto this much, then the jinchuriki would be one day considered his brother.

"Hinata…remember that you are as strong...as you need to be..." Neji took a wet, shaky breath, eyes half-closing as the light started to dim. "Leader or not...weak or strong...no matter what…you are kind, patient…..and compassionate…..p-promise me you will never change who you are...promise me...this one thing..."

.

.

.

 _"Neji-nii….I want to become much stronger than I am right now," said Hinata, as they were walking home to the Hyuga compound._

 _Neji glanced back at her, hesitated, and turned away. "I think you're strong enough."_

 _Hinata knew Neji was still shaken up with what happened during Pein's attack, when she had nearly been killed fighting the enemy herself to protect Naruto, but it was one of the main reasons why she had to tell him this. And she knew Neji believed in and respected her, just as she believed in and respected him, but she needed more power like him so that she wouldn't have to be protected anymore. If her father and her clan deemed her weak, she would not let past defeats do that._

 _"But….t-this war is to protect Naruto-kun," she said more determinedly. "So, I must become much, much stronger. I have to be strong! Don't you see? It's because of Naruto that I have come as far as I have."_

 _Neji closed his eyes, feeling both worried and proud. "Hinata-sama…..I am the same. It's all thanks to him that I'm free."_

And it's not just Naruto whom I have to thank for everything. _Neji smiled a little when hearing Hinata's soft "ah" in agreement._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _"You're from the main branch," said Neji, as they prepared for their training. "You should be leading the clan from the front lines."_

 _Hinata shook her head, smiling. "No, you're suited for the job, and there should no name or side branch now. Unless all of us stand united, this war cannot be won."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

Hinata choked on her tears, knowing exactly what Neji was telling her. All this time she had been worried about trying to get stronger, gain more power, to protect others, to let them see what she can do, that she can be accepted…..but what others have called her shy, gentle personality weak, she never truly considered that her kindness and open heart would give strength to others.

To Naruto…..and then to Neji….

Hinata lifted a hand and cupped his bloody wet face while pressing closer to embrace both him and Naruto. Her other hand found Neji's limp, larger one in Naruto's lap and twined her fingers with his. She closed her eyes as she wept. "I-I promise. Y-You don't have worry, n-nii-san." Then she forced a warm smile. "Because...I never go back on my word."

 _Because that is my Ninja Way._

"I know…thank you…." Neji smiled and closed his eyes to pressed closer to Hinata's warm forehead, his own tears mixing with hers. His bloody breath was getting faint. Slower.

"I'm proud of you..." he breathed so softly only she could hear, "so proud…imouto…" His pale eyes half-opened to meet hers briefly, before dimming. "It'll…..be okay…I know…." He breathed his last with a shudder and didn't move again, Hinata staring into his now empty gaze.

Above them, a hawk flew past them over the skies.

It was shot down by a wooden stave from the sky as the Ten-Tails struggled between the giant mouton slabs. As Obito shouted out to Naruto with a cruel jibe, "Didn't you say that you wouldn't let your friends die, Naruto?!"

Naruto and Hinata had been so lost in their grief that they had been started out of their trance. Naruto had to catch Neji's body to keep it from his hitting the ground. When seeing that Neji was truly gone, the agony and guilt on Naruto's face was more than Hinata can bear.

After all the words from Obito that were thrown at Naruto, the blond continuing to shatter under the burden of so many losses, looking as though he were ready to give up, Hinata knew that this was unacceptable. With all her anger and determination matching her grief, she now knew what her strength was.

She started by slapping his stricken face (surprising herself with this bold reaction) and holding it there for comfort, before speaking her mind that would help him remember who and what he was.

Naruto was her strength. Now she will be his.

This is what Neji had died for, and she, and Naruto, will not waste it.

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.

.

 _I love you, nii-san. I'll finish what you started. Both Naruto-kun and I will. That is a promise._

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 **Rest in peace, Neji:'( Hope you realized that if it wasn't for you, Naruto and Hinata wouldn't have married, and Boruto and Himawari wouldn't have been born.**

 **Everything truly gets depressing here, but even in the darkness times, the light always finds a way to break through. Hinata always makes me cry every time she gets beaten down, but at the same time, never ceases to amaze when she gets back up. One of the few things she and Naruto have in common.**

 **I know Japanese zip-zero-nada, so I hope I got the suffixes right. It's my first time using them.**

 **I would love to hear some reviews!**


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